


Psychic My Ass

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [40]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Alternate Universe, Case Fic, Gen, Paranormal, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for Genre AU prompt: <i>The Mentalist, Kimball Cho +or/ Patrick Jane, paranormal/supernatural (er... but please no werewolves or vampire au?)</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Psychic My Ass

Kimball Cho was suspicious. It wasn’t unusual in his line of work, but was rarely directed at one of his teammates. Not that Jane fit that classification, not yet. He was new, a consultant to the CBI – Paranormal Division, and one Cho was pretty sure they didn’t need. If Jane was the psychic he claimed to be, Cho would eat his tie.

It remained to be seen whether or not he’d be helpful in catching Red John, the most deadly Charmer currently at large in the US.

“Come on. Give me a chance.” Jane flashed Cho a wide, boyish grin that probably had women throwing themselves at his feet.

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

 _Here_ being the residence of one Gladys Pepperidge. It was a standard Q &A, an informal follow-up to the initial interview the CBI had conducted. Cho still wasn’t sure why Lisbon had suggested that Jane tag along, though he suspected she needed a break from the man.

“Just hang back and observe,” Cho directed. He knocked briskly on the door and waited patiently for Gladys to answer it. She was elderly, and he could hear her shuffling steps as she got closer.

“Who is it?” she called through the door.

“Agent Cho with the CBI-PD, ma’am.” He held his ID up to the peephole in the door until he heard the lock turn.

Gladys had been tall her in youth, but age had rounded her spine and stooped her over. She pulled the door open and gestured for Cho and Jane to come in.

“And who is this young man?” she asked, giving Jane a very flagrant once-over that was incredibly inappropriate, especially from a woman her age. But Jane just smiled politely.

“Patrick Jane. He’s a consultant with the division.”

“What’s this all about?” Gladys asked, closing the front door. She was wearing a pink striped housecoat and matching furry slippers.

“Do you have tea?” Jane didn’t bother waiting for an answer, just headed off on his own to find the kitchen.

Cho clenched his teeth, but otherwise tried not to show any outward sign of annoyance. Jane may not be part of the team yet in his eyes, but out on a job they had to present a united front.

“Presumptuous,” Gladys grumbled. She shuffled off after Jane.

Cho took his time following. As a seasoned investigator, it was second nature for him to observe his surroundings. The background check he’d run on Mrs. Pepperidge had shown a woman who lived comfortably but not beyond her means. She received Social Security checks, and small pension checks from her late husband, Isaac, who’d been in the Plumber’s Union.

For the most part, the house bore out what Cho knew to be true. But there were anomalies: the game system hooked up to the flatscreen TV, the high-end tablet charging on the coffee table, and the lacy red bra that was peeking out from under the loveseat.

When Cho joined Jane and Gladys in the kitchen, Gladys was apologizing for not having any tea. She did have a fancy red Keurig on the counter, though she didn’t offer to make anyone any coffee.

“Mrs. Pepperidge, do you have someone staying with you?” Cho asked, getting right down to business.

“My granddaughter. Alicia. She’s at school right now.” Gladys smiled pleasantly, but something was definitely off. Cho knew for a fact that the Pepperidges had been childless.

“That must be difficult for you,” Jane said. He wandered around the kitchen, randomly opening and closing cabinets. For a diabetic, Gladys had a lot of sugary cereals. “Taking care of a teenager at your age.”

“Oh, no. Alicia is wonderful. She’s very helpful.”

“What time will she be home from school?” Cho asked, making a notation in his notebook. “If she’s involved in the –”

“I’m dropping the charges,” Gladys interrupted.

Cho closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Jane was a jinx, that was the only explanation for an open-and-shut case suddenly going off the rails. Gladys had a break-in two weeks previous, and caught the guy in the act. Even though nothing was stolen, she’d been vehement about pressing charges because the kid had used magic on her. It had been low-grade, but a violation nonetheless.

“Of course you are,” Jane said, like it made perfect sense. “You don’t want your boyfriend to go to jail, do you?”

That got Cho’s attention. He looked sharply at Jane, who was standing by the sink and looking unbearably smug, then back at Gladys. Dammit. Rookie mistake.

Cho rattled off a standard binding spell, just beating whatever hex Gladys was about to let loose. Well, not Gladys. Between one blink and the next she’d morphed into a young woman who looked like she could still be in high school.

“Alicia, I presume.”

“Fuck you,” she snapped in reply.

“On your feet.” Cho tucked away the notebook and pulled out his cuffs. “You have the right to remain silent.”

“No! No, please, you can’t take me in like this!” Alicia gestured at herself.

“Pink really isn’t your color,” Cho agreed. He finished the Miranda rights, snapped the cuffs into place, and called it in. They’d transport Alicia back to the CBI and check her against the Registry, and find out what happened to the real Gladys Pepperidge.

“How’d you know she was using a glamour?” he asked Jane once Alicia was stowed in the back of the SUV.

Jane waggled his fingers at Cho. “Psychic, remember?”

“Psychic my ass,” Cho grumbled. He was going to find out what Patrick Jane was really up to, if it was the last thing he did.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** This is my first foray into this fandom, but I couldn’t resist a Cho prompt. Cho! I re-familiarized myself via YouTube videos, and hopefully didn’t make too much of a mess.


End file.
